1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to security systems, and particularly to security gates having an intercom.
2. Technical Background
Security gates are used to control the ingress and egress to residential areas, individual residences, corporate and institutional areas, military bases, and other such controlled areas. Security gates may be operated in a variety of ways. However, the present invention is directed to gate systems that employ a gate intercom for user access. In other words, a visitor to a controlled area speaks to a person inside the controlled space before being allowed to enter. Once permission is granted, a gate opening signal is generated. Gate closure may be effected after a predetermined time delay, or in response to a gate closure signal. The gate closure signal may be generated using any suitable manner.
As noted above, gate systems typically require that a person inside the controlled area be notified when a visitor seeks access to the controlled area. The person is typically notified by a communication channel that includes an electrically wired propagation path, for example, from a gate intercom to an intercom device disposed in the controlled area. The intercom inside the controlled space is typically a component of a communication and control system that provides the user with the ability to receive calls from the gate intercom, speak with the visitor, and control the gate from inside the controlled space.
In one approach that has been considered, wiring is disposed between the gate intercom and an interface to the home telephony wiring. The intercom wiring may be connected to an interface allowing the user to communicate with the gate intercom via the telephone. One drawback to this approach relates to the expense and, in some cases, the difficulty of placing the wiring between the gate and the controlled area.
Thus, in another approach that has been considered, a radio system is employed to link the gate intercom with the controlled area. However, this approach also has drawbacks in that each side of the radio link must employ a radio transceiver. As such, the controlled area must be equipped with both a telephone set for normal telecommunications activity, and a radio transceiver to communicate with the gate intercom.
Security systems often include one or more networked cameras. A program running on a host computer may sequentially poll each camera and display that camera's images in a corresponding window on the display. All of the digital photographs are taken in response to the host computer polling activities and stored sequentially. However, this system has drawbacks in that many of the photographs in the sequence are useless and may not represent visitor activity.
Accordingly, what is needed is a security system that includes a gate access system that captures the image of visitors in response to an actuation of one or more gate access panel inputs. The security system also needs a base station that is configured to receive and store the images along with a time/date stamp for easy retrieval.